The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Book 1
by DarkLink519
Summary: The first book in a three part ocarina of time novel i'm writing. If you want a summary, go buy the game and read the back of the box. It is not a literal adaption. Same characters, same plot, new twists. Example: more DL vs L throughout. REVIEWS!
1. Prologue

A child lay sleeping in a pair of arms that held him so affectionately that they could only belong to his mother. No sound could be heard in the small four-corner room but the creaking of the chair the mother was sitting in. The husband, a tattered man with a hard, sunken face and a short beard, lay soundly on a square bed of hay that was just big enough for him to sleep in. He lay so quietly and motionless that he appeared to be torn from the painting of an artist that could capture more than the essence of life.

The woman was asleep as well, although she was still dressed in her working clothes, which were dirty and patched in the knees. Her face however reflected the complete opposite. There were no lit candles, but the moonlight that shone through the open porthole that was situated on the west side of the room was enough to exhibit her golden hair as if it were a reflective surface.

It was too perfect to last for much longer.

From outside in the narrow streets of Hyrule Castle Town Market there emanated an ear-splitting crash. Scattered light instantly broke through the curtains of shadow, revealing the shattered glass that had fallen from a now-broken window that must have come from a neighbouring house. This alerted the family, and an intense commotion began as the baby boy started to cry. As the mother attempted to quiet the child, the husband reached towards the side of the bed for an axe. He ran across the bedroom and opened the door to another room, returning within seconds holding a burning torch.

The man leapt back from the open window as soon as he reached it, and people whose ghostly silhouettes told him were all female climbed through it. As he brought the torchlight up to the crowd, his face wrought with fear, he discovered that his nightmare was being realized before his very eyes.

These women were not Hylians, but Gerudos.

He didn't have to tell his wife to run, because he ran too, and she followed. _Another riot… this is exactly the kind of trouble the guards have been having these past few months… _he thought as he clambered through the door and slammed it shut behind them to give them more time. But before it could be locked, it burst back open so hard that it fell from its hinges. At least half a dozen Gerudo women now leapt towards him and his family. They were all carrying spears, and long ones.

In the panic, he brought his axe up before the leading Gerudo and down towards her head, but she easily sidestepped the savage attack recovering just as a second attack was thrown by the Hylian. This time, however, the Gerudo was ready; she reacted by swinging her own spear defensively in the approaching weapon's direction. Sure enough, a strident ringing noise sounded throughout the room as the blades met.

As the female warrior held her position, she spoke in the Gerudo tongue to her comrades, and with a quick flick of her head, motioned them outside. With swiftness that only one of her kind could achieve, she recoiled and struck once more with the double-edged blade. He knew that the Gerudo was superior to himself, but he had no intention of backing down and surrendering his family to his enemy. Yelling savagely, he ducked underneath the horizontal attack and used the heavy axe to swing at the Gerudo's feet.

But once again, she outwitted him. Using her agility, she changed the direction of the attack at the last second and swung towards the Hylian's chin. Now, caught unawares, he could not defend himself against the assault.

Everything around him fell silent as he heard his own jawbone crack.

Now, with his axe buried in the wooden floor, the malicious Gerudo standing over him like a goddess of death, and his house wrecked beyond logical repair, he had no choice but to flee.

He called to his wife to follow, and the three darted through the front door. They raced towards the stables, which, luckily, were only across the street, for the Gerudo could overtake them easily without a horse.

He didn't have time to find his own stead, so he reached for the nearest one, untied it as quick as he could, and swung a saddle onto the animals back. It was alarmed by all the sudden movement, however, and escaped from its new owners hands. He could only just escape the whinnying hooves before the horse took off in a race against the wind down the road. Several Gerudos moved evasively from the charging animal, but most could not escape from its path.

The sudden attack from the beast gave them enough time to untie another animal and saddle it. This time they succeeded, and the mother, carrying the wailing baby in her arms, climbed onto the back of the horse with the help of her husband.

Before the man could reach for another horse, he felt cold metal reach his back. The pain he felt, emotionally and physically, as the blade sunk through his flesh was indescribable, but as he fell, he managed to scream his final word to his wife, pain coursing threw his limp jaw as he spoke:

"_RIDE!"_

The lady now had no choice but to leave her dying husband behind. She dug her heels into the horse's sides as hard as she could and almost fell off as the animal took off.

It was then, from somewhere within the streets, a poison arrow dove through the air and, inexplicably, reached its target.

--

It had been a long, hard ride, but by the three goddesses, she had made it to the Kokiri forest, the one forsaken place in Hyrule where there was no evil to be found. Safety.

She had made it, but dying, sure enough.

When she had escaped the commotion long enough to pry the arrow from her weakened body, it had already been too late. The poison was already spreading through her veins.

She fell off the horse and rolled down a tall hill, making no effort to stop herself. She never did find out when she stopped rolling.

--

When she woke, she found herself choking on blood. She knew, without a doubt, that she was going to die, and all she could think about was the future of her child.

Although she didn't realize it, the baby was safe, cradled in her arms, and she was laying in a huge meadow. In the centre of the meadow was a tree, equally as monstrous.

From somewhere in that meadow, a deep, booming voice, reached her ears. As it did, time itself seemed to fall into total arrest.

"_WHAT BE YOUR BABY'S NAME?_"

A barely audible mutter came from the woman's lips. "Link…"

Again, her vision faded and she fell unconscious. This time, however, she never woke.


	2. Dreams

_He stood in the centre of a vast field. Huge, ominous clouds engulfed the land, shrouding the place in darkness and creating a dire atmosphere that reflected nothing but cruelty and ma__lice. _

_It was then when he noticed the only source of visible light for miles around was coming from him..._

_...no, not him..._

_...a fairy?_

_Yes, and it was sitting on his shoulder! It appeared to be watching something very closely, and he couldn't help but turn to look. The fairy lifted from his shoulder so that she could still see, and was now hovering inches above his head._

_He was so stunned when he saw what the fay had been looking at that he fell over onto his back. _

_There, inches from his face, had been the walls of a huge castle. _

_Wait... no, that wasn't the castle. _

_Those were the gaits._

_He instinctively looked up in hopes to find something bigger. _

_He did. _

_At least a mile beyond the gates, a huge, towering structure that rose up to the clouds and crossed boundaries with the heavens stood looming over him._

There _was the castle._

_Never before in his entire life had he ever been out of the Kokiri forest, and the only thing he had ever seen that could possibly rival this monstrous structure was the Great Deku Tree, which stood about a hundred feet in the air, and even then, the castle had to be at least five times that size. _

_Come to think of it, why was he even here...?_

_Suddenly his amazement was replaced by fear. Where was he, and what was he supposed to do? Why was there a fairy here, wherever he was, and..._

_Why did he have a sword and shield on his back, weapons that were used to kill?_

_Now the whole situation had become too much for him. _

_Then something happened, and something so loud that he was forced to cover his ears for fear of losing his hearing. The creaking sound went on for about a minute, when finally, with a final crash, it was over. _

_When he saw what had happened, and what was coming, he jumped back in alarm. If he would have had any idea how the castle gates worked, he would have figured out that the drawbridge had lowered. _

_But he could understand what was coming at him, and it was coming at him fast. _

_--_

_She stood in the middle of Hyrule field, its once arresting beauty now obscured by blackness._

_She had no idea how she had gotten here. The last thing she remembered, she had been in the castle of Hyrule that lay on the outskirts of Hyrule Castle Town. _

_There were large thunder clouds looming over the field. She didn't know why, but somehow... somehow those clouds represented the very meaning of evil. They were associated with the most vile and cruelest things she could think of. _

_As if her thoughts controlled the world, the clouds that had once loomed over the field now expanded to an indescribable size. They were slowly growing bigger, engulfing her land bit by bit, and if someone didn't stop them..._

_But miraculously, light broke through the clouds, and they immediately decreased to their original size. This was not the light of the sun, for it was brighter than anything before it. Somehow, this light had come to answer her pleas and destroy the evil clouds. This light must be a representation of everything good and pure, for that was the only way it made sense to her._

_But there was something else..._

_A man... no, a child, about the same age as she..._

_--_

_He leapt out of the way just as the horse galloped past him at a breakneck pace. _

_His heart skipped a beat as one of the riders looked back at him, as if to warn him. She was definitely an outsider to the forest, because she was not wearing Kokiri attire..._

_He had seen horses of outsiders that had abandoned their owners before, but never had he seen one move this fast. Why? Was it scared? What was it running from?_

_His questions were answered as another horse pulled to a stop beside him.. It was large and black, with soulless, bloodshot eyes that were glaring at him with murderous intent. It didn't take him long to determine that this horse had been chasing the other, for it eyes alone were enough to scare any creature to frantics._

_The rider, however, was enough to scare any creature to death..._

_--_

_The child stood at the other end of the field. He was dressed entirely in green... was he from the forest, perhaps? She squinted harder. Sure enough, a blue fairy hovered above the boy's head._

_But what was a Kokiri doing in Hyrule Field?_

_Was it possible that this boy represented the light that had destroyed the evil clouds? _

_No..._

_Maybe?_

_She had only enough time to see that he was carrying a green light before she woke from her dream..._

_--_

_He wanted to turn and run, but found himself incapable of it. _

_The rider seemed to match the horse perfectly. He was very tall, at least twice as tall as he, and his build looked so strong that it seemed unnatural. He wore black armor over his strange clothing, which was tattered and poorly sewn. The man's thick brow nearly obscured his eyes from view, which were red as blood and menacing. He wore hair that reflected the same shade of red as his eyes._

_Evil. That was the only way to describe it._

_Then the man reached for a knife... _


	3. The Boy Without a Fairy

Link sat straight up in his bed, panting and breathing hard.

This had to have been at least the tenth occurrence of the dream that he had been having over the past few months. At first it had been hazy only a sequence of undefined flashes, but now it was clearer and more lifelike than ever before.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself up onto his feet and began to search around the room for his clothes. Like most other Kokiri, Link wore a tunic (a long green shirt that hung down to his knees) with a belt tied around his middle. His friend, Saria, had hand-crafted the tunic herself, along with the long green cap that he wore on his head. Although the Kokiri were only children, they were remarkably crafty. As far as he knew, he was the only one that was unable to thread a needle.

This was not his only way in which he was unlike the other Kokiri, though.

Ever since the beginning of time, when the seed of the Great Deku Tree had been planted and Din's Eye had first risen from the horizon, every single Kokiri, from the time that they were born from the Great Deku Tree's branches, had been given his own guardian fairy to watch over them.

His birth had broken that tradition, however.

Every Kokiri before and after him had a fairy.

He was the only one who didn't.

In his first few years, he had always hoped that a fairy would eventually come to him. But now, at ten years old, he had simply learned to accept the fact that he was different from his friends.

There were other ways that demonstrated his unlikeness to the others, however. He had been told that he didn't really look like a Kokiri at all, that he looked like the child of an outsider. Some times he didn't even feel like a Kokiri.

Once he was dressed, he stepped outside his front door, wincing as Din's powerful Eye met his own.

--

_Navi... where art thou?_

The giant tree's words were unheard, and as they passed nothing but absolute silence remained in their rest.

_Navi the fairy... come hither..._

Again, no sound passed through the Great Deku Tree's meadow.

_...Navi?_

"Great Deku Tree, I have arrived."

As the familiar voice reached his ears, he shuddered with relief, shaking several trees from his branches. He could not see the fairy, nor could he speak in any way other than telepathic contact. Still, he knew the fairy had finally arrived. He could hear the air around him changing direction as she moved about.

_...it has been long... so long..._

"Yes, O Father of the Kokiri. I give you my greetings."

_Yes... thank you... and I you, Navi the fairy..._

There was a short pause as the tree's words reached Navi's mind. Before she could reply in the formal tone, however, the Great Deku Tree contacted her once more. Her mind was tiring, however, and she had to strain to here the diety's words.

_You know... there was once a time when I could speak... ten years ago, when..._

"I am sorry, Great Deku Tree, but my mind is tiring. I cannot hear your words clearly," spoke the fay.

_Very well... I apologise... you should not be burdened with the rantings of an old tree in such dark times..._

"Dark? Great Deku Tree, what times of evil are these of which you speak so gravely?"

_There isn't time to explain at the moment, Navi... we must be brief, so that the connection is not lost... _

"I understand."

_...You must... find the boy... the boy without a fairy... and bring him to me..._

The fairy nodded her head in acknowledgement. "But what are we to do with this boy?"

_...Navi... please, no questions... you are to be... you are Link's guardian fairy. You must find him... as quickly as you can..._

"Yes, Great Deku Tree."

The tree shifted once more, and barrels of leaves rained down from the long, inclining branches. _Fly, Navi, fly... we have not much time... the fate of the Forest... nay, Hyrule... depends upon thee..._

--

Link clambered down the ladder and felt the forest floor sink beneath his feet.

Almost instantly as he touched the ground, he felt hungry. But that would be no problem for Link. Having lived in the forest his entire life, he knew exactly where to find the best berries and how to get them. If he could not stitch cloth, he made up for that in his incredible skills at climbing and jumping. There were few other Kokiri in the forest the rivaled his abilities.

Kokiri Village in all its entirety, was situated in the middle of a clearing that was surrounded entirely by the lost woods. Through the middle of the expanse ran a river where the Kokiri children found their water. For food, their diet consisted of mainly various fruits and vegetables, and some nuts. Every so often, they were permitted to eat cooked fish or rabbit from the river or the woods, when they could catch it. All Kokiri were taught to love and care for all living things, therefore it would be an atrocity to kill without need.

Many berry bushes ran the perimeter of the village, but in order to find fruit, which usually grew on trees, with the exception of grapes, they had to travel past the boundaries of the clearing and into the lost woods. It often didn't take them long to find fruits and vegetables and nuts, because they would run into a tree on which one of the three grew if they just kept wandering. They were, after all, in the middle of a forest. It was indeed inconvenient for the Kokiri Village to be situated so far from the food, but they needed the space for their homes, which were usually pretty big, and wooden.

The lost woods were not called the lost woods for because they were lost, but because of its immense size and difficulty to navigate. For this reason, seldom did travellers and outsiders dare enter the forest. The Kokiri were forbidden to step outside the lost woods, because they were told that they would die if they were to do so, but they had indeed heard stories of the outside world from the occasional outsider (who they were friendly too, with the exception of those who carried weapons) that had happened to find the Kokiri Village. This had only happened very few times, however, and not once since Link had been born.

Eventually, Link came to a good, healthy looking apple tree. As soon as he found a foothold, he was up it withing seconds. Using balance and flexibility that he had aquired after years of tree-climbing, he reached into the pocket of his tunic and pulled out a slingshot, which was a traditional tool that the Kokiri used to help them get crop from treetops without harming the tree form which it was growing. In the same pocket, he found an old deku seed, which was common ammo for the slingshot, and fired it at an apple above. His aim was true, and the apple fell. With amazing swiftness, Link stuffed the slingshot back into his pocket and dropped down over the edge of the branch he had been standing on. Hanging from it with one arm, Link used his other to snatch the apple from the air. He took one big bite before releasing his grip on the branch and swinging down, landing on both feet as if the entire act had been an everyday achievement.

With his breakfast in hand and his spirits high, Link decided that he better have some water to wash the apple down. It didn't take him long to return to the village, which now looked entirely different from before, when he had been the only Kokiri awake, and was buzzing with activity. Everyone in the entire village was a child. This was because the Kokiri, having reached they age of about twelve years, remain in the same state for the rest of their days. Although a Kokiri's lifespan was about the same as an outsider's, they never grew up.

Bending over the a stream the carried water from the main river to a small pool on the far side of the village, Link cupped his hands and drank a considerable amount of the clear water, but not greedily so. The water was cold, and it tickled his throat on the way down.

"Hey, Link!"

Hearing his name being called, Link stood up and glanced around, hoping that it was his friend, Saria, who had called him. It was.

"Hi," Saria repeated as she reached him. She stood just a few inches taller than he did, but that was only because she was older, by about eight months. Her hair, unlike his own blond mess, was straight and shoulder length. She, too, wore a tunic that was crafted in the same manner as his own, but she had no cap, and instead wore a green headband that was the same shade as the leaves of a deku tree, a common tree found in the Lost Woods. "You were up early... I saw you leave only just as Din's Eye was rising. Have you eaten already?"

"Yeah. There's a good apple tree in the west side of the lost woods. I can take you there if you like."

"I already ate too." Saria opened her closed hands to exhibit a handful of blueberries. She suddenly became cross. "And I know my way around, Link. I've been here just as long as you have, if not longer..."

"Yeah, I know. I just thought..."

"Hey Mr. No-Fairy!"

_That _was a voice Link didn't want to hear...

--

_Where is that boy? _Thought Navi. She had been flying for an hour at least, and had seen no sign of any boy without a fairy nearby.

_Urgent. _That's all she could think about. The Great Deku Tree had sounded urgent. She needed to hurry.

Braking swiftly, Navi began to fly straight up. If anything, it would be easier if she could see the Kokiri from afar... after all, fairies usually did have excellent eyesight. But it was no use. As high as she could fly, she would never be able to see the _entire _woods.

_...Urgent... dark... no time... the fate of the forest..._

So she braked again, glanced around to make sure nothing was coming in her direction, and went into a steep dive.

--

"What is it, Mido?"

The tall, firm boy with a pale face that the voice had came from indeed belonged to Mido, self-appointed leader of the Kokiri. Link, however, knew that there were to be no leaders in the Kokiri race, and that Mido was only saying this to impress Saria.

Although Link wasn't the only one Mido bullied, he was certainly the focus of it. He was a perfect target. Outsider was one of the most common names he was given. Most of the others didn't consider him to be a real Kokiri, because he hadn't been given a guardian fairy.

"I just thought you might be able to climb up that tree over there and get me an apple."

"And why would I do that?"

Link's reluctance to obey the larger Kokiri was enough to set Mido off. "I _demand_, as leader of the Kokiri, that you climb up the damn tree and get me an apple!"

Saria, who had been about to say something, recoiled in disgust of Mido's cursing. "You shouldn't be saying these things, Mido. You know the Great Deku Tree doesn't like..."

But Link, not wanting to pick a fight, had already climbed the tree, and had now returned with a very perfect apple that was sure to satisfy the bully. "Here you go, Mido."

"Thank you, Mr. No-Fairy. Here you go, Saria." Mido held the apple out to the Kokiri.

Surprisingly, Saria dropped her handful of blueberries and took the apple from a smug-faced Mido.

"Thank you, Mido. Now, Link, would you please go get me _ten_apples? I know that's alot, but I want to return the favor, and as _King _of the Kokiri (Mido's face lit up at this) I think he deserves more than one."

Link immediately understood what Saria meant. Without hesitating, he clambered up the tree again and quickly shot down ten apples. Saria gathered them, and handed five to Link.

Before they could throw the apples at Mido, something small and blue fell from the sky.

Mido had already run away, so Link and Saria, curious, dropped the apples and went over to see what had fallen.

It was a fairy. At one time it looked as if it might have been blue, but its light had been dimmed from the fall.

"The boy... without a fairy... is he here?"


	4. The Becoming of Queen Ghoma

A Lone beetle scuttled accross the forest floor. It was searching for food. That was its only intent: to eat. It was a wonder that the Great Deku Tree allowed these kind of creatures into his forest, because they ate wood, and were constantly damaging the trees and the Kokiris' homes, and even occasionally himself. But this was no bother to him, because once the trees were eaten, new ones would be planted. He was to large to suffer any harm from the tiny insect. It probably wouldn't even leave a visible scar on his bark.

The Great Deku Tree thought long and hard, just as he did every afternoon. He wondered what the little beetle would eat next, and he wondered about what his Kokiri children were up to, and perhaps if they would be returning to him soon to learn more stories of the world outside his own... but most of all, he thought about the past. Long ago, he could indeed speek. To any living creature, and better than any other being he knew of.

But that day, ten years ago... this was what he had sacraficed to save him...

The boy without a fairy...

Now he began to wonder, with growing urgency, where Navi the fairy was, and whether she had succeeded in finding the boy.

Suddenly, the beetle froze. The Great Deku Tree could not see the beetle, but he knew it was experiencing pain. He reached out with his own power, soothing the living creature.

But he felt more. There was more than the beetle's own being inside this body... Something was fighting his way into the insect's mind, causing it more and more suffering. There was only one explanation. Somebody was trying to contact him telepathicly through another being. Slowly he eased his barriers, and winced as the power at the other end reaced his own. At the same time, an evil mist settled in his mind's crevices.

The Great Deku Tree spoke first. _Who art thou? I can since your evil..._

From the contacter there came a cold, blood-curdling laugh. _It is I!_

The Tree hardly shifted as the image of a tall man riding a black horse was propelled towards him.

_I see... so it is you, rider of black armor, who has come again for my stone?_

_Perhaps... what have you to say upon the matter? Will you give it to me?_

_NEVER! _the Great Deku Tree bellowed. _Never should I turn over such a sacred monument to you of such evil intent, rider of black armor! Never as long as I stand protecting this forest from black magic such as your own, outsider!_

_Is that so... _

_I have not made myself clear enough? Now, you can leave this place, and take your wishes with you. You will never touch the stone._

The Great Deku Tree was getting angry now, and he pummeled his own powers against the contacter's barrier. It concaved slightly, and then returned to normal.

_We must not be violent, for this is a serious manner. Give me the stone, or you shall not live to see your precious Kokiri die._

_YOU WILL NOT THREATEN ME, RIDER OF BLACK ARMOR! NEVER SHALL YOU LAY A HAND ON MY CHILDREN! NEVER SHALL YOU LAY YOUR VILE HANDS ON MY STONE, OUTSIDER!_

_So that is your final answer?_

Now, the Great Deku Tree had had enough.

_THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! THE FOREST HAS NEVER BEEN INSULTED LIKE THIS! NEVER HAS ONE SUCH AS YOURSELF ENTERED SUCH UNTOUCHED PREMISES! HEAR ME NOW, OUTSIDER, YOU WILL LEAVE THIS FOREST AND NEVER RETURN!_

_If this is all you have to say, then you will die._

Then the Great Deku Tree felt the contacter's power drift away, and the evil mist left his mind. The frightened beetle scurried away into the bushes.

For three nights now he had sensed evil inside the forest... this is why he had sent for the boy without a fairy...

Before he had only sensed it. Now it was happening before his very being.

The beetle through which he had contacted the rider of black armor slowly began to grow, doubling... no, tripling in size... it must have been at least twenty feet high, now... And as it grew, it was mutating, growing most horribly into a creature far more terrifying than he had ever seen before. Its entire body consisted of only one segment, a swolen black piece of flesh that was covered entirely by a hard shell. Its one very large yellow eye stood out prominently before a red pupil, resting just above the monsters pincers. It had three legs, two large powerful ones in the front with claws that looked as if they could pierce stone, and one smaller leg behind its body. It looked female, because underneath its middle was a large raw sack that looked like it held eggs.

The monster gave a terrifying shriek, glaring at him and lashing out with its pincers.

"BEHOLD," came the voice of the rider of black armor, "QUEEN GHOMA!"

Maybe he had been too late...


	5. Navi

Chapter Four: Navi

Link stared down upon the small blue orb that possessed wings with a new respect, for now that he new exactly what it was - a fairy, of course - he could do nothing but gape in wonder and awe at it. One could assume that it was not the fay itself that enticed the young Kokiri, but the unusual way in which it had presented itself. A fairy in itself was not an odd occurance - all fairies, as he knew, lived in the lost woods freely before they were appointed to a Kokiri child as their guardian - but it was not generally known for them to come crashing through the forest canopy.

When he had finished discerning over the suddenness of what had happened, Link recalled what the fay had asked:

_The boy without a Fairy..._

_...is he here?_

"Yes," he said instantly, "yes, i'm him... i'm..." Link didn't exactly know what to say, or how to present himself. He knew, however, that he was for certain the boy that the fairy had requested. There were no other children in the Forest who bore the unjustness of having not been given a guardian fairy. He was the only one.

The Fairy started, and seemed to grin and nod apprehensively at achieving its goal, but then fell unconcious.

--

"How is she?" asked Saria, for it had already been determined that the fairy was indeed female.

"I- I don't know..."

There was an uncomfortable pause between the two of them. Because it had been he that had been requested, he felt an uncanny emotional attatchment to the fairy. He had never, afterall, been wanted by anyone but Saria. There were others who neither bullied him nor befriended him, but instead ignored him. He wasn't taken into account in anything, as if he hadn't existed. It was these people who were, in some ways, worse than Mido.

An outsider, they called him. Mr. No-fairy.

Saria was his one true friend.

The two quickened as the fairy stirred. She flicked her wings recklessly and lit from the tabletop where she had lay.

_Where... what is this? _she thought. _Where am I?_

Remembering what she had been sent for, Navi disregarded the pain in her wings and repeated the question she had asked earlier, forgetting the answer that Link had given.

"I'm looking for the boy... without a fairy. Can you bring him to me? Do you know where he is?"

Link rustled in his chair, but Saria answered first.

"This is the one you're looking for, Link. Are you..." she paused, searching for words, "...okay? That was quite the fall..."

Navi ignored Saria's question and turned to Link. "You are...?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad to meet you, Link. I'm Navi the fairy."

"You - I mean - hello."

Link, who was not very good at conversations, wondered if he had said the right thing. He hoped his response hadn't sounded rude...

"Um... well, I guess I should start here... first thing's first. Link, the Great Deku Tree, guardian of the forest and father of the Kokiri, has sent me to be... your guardian fairy."

He simply could not say anything. He mouthed words, but no sound came out. Link had never experience such pleasure. At that moment, every evil thing and all of his problems, Mido included, were swept off the face of Hyrule. The one true thing he had always desired had arrived in front of his eyes like a miracle presented from the three goddesses themselves, and for the present, nothing else existed.

Saria was the first to recover. "Link, this is... great..."

Link ought to have been more excited, but there were simply no words to describe the speed at which his heart raced. At least, great was not the right phrase for it. He sat there, only wondering what could happen next, because he could not speak.

Navi spoke again, this time with a new urgency that neither of the two of them had ever seen before. "You need to listen to me, Link. We don't have much time..."

_Dark... _the Great Deku Tree's words echoed in her head. _No time... urgent... fate of the forest..._

"...the Great Deku Tree is in danger, I think. He said... he told me to bring to him the boy without a fairy..."

_Dark... urgent... no time..._

"...and he said terrible things. He said that these were dark times... I think he felt something dark, evil, approaching..."

_...fate of the forest..._

Navi's voice quickened. "Look, I don't know exactly what was wrong, but it's urgent. He said so."

_...no time..._

"Link... Link, did you hear me? I said we have to go. There's no time. I know how you must feel, but you have to put your feelings aside, okay? The great deku tree... he said... the forest is in danger," Navi concluded as she returned to the edge of the desktop and awaited Link's response.

She didn't get one. He simply stared, stricken. One moment, it had been as if all the world had been illuminated. The next, evil had returned to it. Mido had returned. All of his problems, only now, a new one had appeared.

There was danger in the forest. Navi had said so. His own guardian fairy had told him, his guardian fairy that had been taught only to lead him on the right path.

Was this the right path for him?

He didn't know. All he knew was that this was his guardian fairy. And that fairies didn't lie, and that, according to Navi, he had been summoned by the Great Deku Tree.

"Navi... thank you for coming to get me."

"It was the Great Deku Tree who sent me..."

"No, i mean... thank you for becoming my guardian fairy. All my life, I... I've been bullied because I didn't have one. Because of you, that... doesn't seem such of a big deal anymore."

Navi's color changed to a darker blue. They both knew that an understanding had passed between them. It was a sign, a sign that Navi truly was Link's guardian fairy and friend.

As is true between a Kokiri and his fairy, that friendship would only grow stronger in the days to come.

--

Pain coursed through the Great Deku Tree's monstrous body.

_The Three Goddesses curse you, rider of black armor...!_

He was not only in pain that was imeasurable, but he was also afraid. Afraid for his children, and for himself. For, without him, the forest, and all life in it, would slowly die...

The Great Deku Tree shook its branches in agony as Queen Ghoma tore away at the inside of his body. _Navi... where art thou? I need the boy... for i am..._

..._dying..._


	6. Crossing the River

Chapter Five: Over the River

The two Kokiri walked along the river towards the Great Deku Tree's meadow. Link couldn't help noticing that the Eye of Din was extremely bright that day, and even the dense forest canopy could not shield their eyes from it. As they passed a large fruit tree, Link picked up a small rock from the ground and shot down an apple with his slingshot. He handed this one to Saria upon collecting it, and jumped to retrieve a second. He rubbed off some dirt before taking a large bite right in the center.

While Saria's fairy talked speedily with Navi, Link thought about the coming dangers that awaited the three of them. The Great Deku Tree didn't often summon any one Kokiri for lack of time, he knew that, but each and every Kokiri loved him as their father all the same. He found it hard to understand that his own deity was in trouble, for in his mind, the Great Deku Tree had been naught but the most powerful being alive. He would serve and give life and power to all living things in the forest, loving and respecting each and every creature about which he knew, and the Great Deku Tree knew beyond everyone and anything, for he had been alive since the three goddesses had descended and transformed Hyrule into a land of prosperity. How, he thought, could a power so incredible be diminished?

When he inquired about this to Saria, she simply said flatly, "He'll be alright, Link." and left it at that. She didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation; rather, she seemed to be pondering about something, and he couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem to want it shared with him.

Slightly intrigued, Link gathered up his courage and asked her, "are you alright? You seem... worried about something."

He was wrong about not wanting the thoughts shared with him, and so he felt wrongly about thinking her to be so closed with him.

"I am, worried. Link, I'm worried about everything. About the Deku Tree, and you."

Link thought for a moment. He hadn't heard her speak in this tone of voice before. "About me?"

"It's just... I have a feeling."

"What king of feeling?"

Saria said nothing.

"A bad one?" he asked.

"I..."

There was a pause. Saria looked away, and Link scorned himself for being so intrusive. Backing away from the subject, he said, "The fruit is very nice today."

"I've noticed," said Saria, "The fruit is always good in the forest, but its especially sweet today. But I don't want you to do that, Link."

"Do what?"

"Change the subject. You weren't in the wrong anywhere. Its sort of a good time to talk about these kinds of things."

"Okay..."

"Link, my feeling is that... soon you'll be leaving."

"Leaving? Where too? There's no where else I can go."

"You'll leave the forest."

Link regretted asking about her feeling, because he didn't much like the thought about leaving his home. And besides, only outsiders could come and go as they pleased. A Kokiri couldn't leave the forest even if he wanted to. He would die.

"I haven't been planning on going anywhere," said Link, "and besides, I can't leave, I'll die."

"I don't think you will."

"Why?" he asked her, wondering how this was possible.

"Because... you're different from the rest of us."

"Thanks," he remarked sarcastically.

"No, not in that way..."

There was silence for a long while. It was sound enough that you could hear every leaf in the entire forest rustling in the wind, every cherry falling from every tree.

"But it's just a feeling."

"Yeah," he said, relieved.

"Link, do you remember what the Deku Tree said?"

"What did he say," he asked her, curious.

"About the outside world,"

"No, I don't remember..."

"There are so many different kinds of outsiders," she told him, "and lots of beautiful things. There are these great big slabs of rock called mountains..."

"Mountains?"

"Yes, mountains. And rivers; like what we have in the forest, only they lead to giant puddles called lakes. And their buildings, they're built out of stone instead of wood."

"Huh."

"Maybe you'll see a mountain someday?"

"I'm not leaving the forest, Saria."

She paused before replying, "I know."

"Link!" called Navi, "Link!"

"Hi, Navi," he said.

"We're almost there. See that path over on the other side of the river? That one leads to the Great Deku Tree's meadow."

Link had only ever been to the Deku Tree's meadow twice in his lifetime, and the last time he had been was at least two years ago. Back at Saria's house, he hadn't remembered which way the meadow was, so the fairies, who had been there and back countless times, lead them there. Now that he saw it, however, he remembered almost as clearly as if he was already there.

"We'll have to cross the river," said Saria. "Do you know of any place nearby where we can find a boat? There was one back near the shop, but we passed that a long time."

"I don't think we'll need a boat. The river's both wider and deeper back at the shop. Saria: you and I could walk across, and Navi and Acrea could fly. The river is pretty shallow around this area. It'd only be chest height, it won't cover our heads."

"We won't be swept away?" questioned Saria, recalling the Great Deku Tree's teachings.

"I don't think so."

After he convinced Saria to agree, they removed their boots and Link threw the two pairs onto the bank on the other side. The water was warm, so they jumped right into it. The river was slow moving, but strong, so the two had to catch their balance before proceeding.

A third of the way through the water was about waist-height to him. He was a little bit stronger than Saria, but she managed to keep pace with him as they worked their way across

Halfway through was the steep decline which they had both been expecting. The floor beneath their toes dropped a foot, and they had to work harder to sustain themselves. Saria was just behind him, but she was struggling against the weight of the water. She did not, however insist on turning back, so Link held out his hand and steadied himself against a flat rock. Saria jumped forward and grabbed hold of his forearm, and with her strength combined with his own, they were able to wade over to the other side with relative ease. They clambered onto the bank, slipped on their boots and continued toward the meadow, both of them silently complementing their achievement.


	7. Mido's Declaration

Chapter Six: Mido's Declaration

"HEY!"

The voice of Mido resounded through the lost woods.

"HEY! THERE'S AN OUTSIDER COMING!"

Mido peered through the little opening between the trees and watched as the outsider hastily rode towards them on a black horse.

He watched the rider closely, trying to decide what to do. He was dressed in the strangest clothes... and wore black armour. A large collection of knives were sheathed against he waist.

"HEY!" the Kokiri's voice quickened. He was panicking. Mido turned around and darted through the brush. An outsider was coming.

_Could it be?_

Once he was out into the clearing of the village Mido shouted from the bottom of his lungs. "THERE'S AN OUTSIDER COMING, AND HE'S GOT WEAPONS!"

This set them off. Hundreds of Kokiri children came dashing out of their homes, hundreds more appeared from inside the lost woods. Within seconds the majority of the tribe were gathered around Mido.

There he stood, fuming and powerful. Speaking slightly softer, he hastened to explain to the others what was occuring.

Instantly questions arose. Hands flew up into the air; everybody wanted to know what was going to happen next.

"Who is he?"

"Why is he here?"

"What's he going to do to us?"

"With those knives-"

"And the horse! Mido said he's coming on a horse!'

"We've got to go and tell the Deku Tree!"

"Hurry!"

"Let's go!"

Then Mido spoke. Instantly the murmurs of the crowd diminished. "The outsider is still at least ten miles away. It will be less than half an hour before he arrives...so we need somebody to go tell the Deku Tree that we're coming. Who'll go?"

The noise began again.

"I'll go!"

"Pick me!"

"Me, I'm the fastest!"

"Be quiet, damnit!"

All the Kokiri fell into arrest in awe of Mido's new word. They all stared up at him and fell silent at the smug look on his face.

Sensing leadership among his friends, Mido was the one to choose.

"I'll go," he said. "I have a weapon. A sword. The rest of you'll stay here and guard the forest."

There was a silent murmur of agreement. One of the Kokiri spoke up:

"I've seen the outsider that you describe before. I've seen him riding into the forest at night, towards the Great Deku Tree's meadow."

Mido addressed her, "you seen him before?"

"Yes," the girl said.

"Everybody!" Mido spoke, "Everybody! Aria says she has seen the outsider before. We have to be extra careful. Last night, my fairy said the he'd overheard the Deku Tree telling another fairy that the forest was in danger. Is this what he meant? We don't know. But whatever it is, we're going to have to fight it!"

The Kokiri children cheered, and they all ran wildly back towards the forest and their houses from which they had come.

"Is all of this true?" asked Aria.

"Yes." said Mido, looking down at her with a sense of pride at being looked up to by a younger Kokiri.

"And you're really going to the Deku Tree's meadow, even though he hasn't summoned you?"

"It's what I have to do."

--

A few minutes later, Mido was back in his own two story house. He took out a bronze chest with gold hinges from underneath his bed, and opened it up with the turn of a silver key.

Any Kokiri would have gasped when he saw what Mido had retrieved from the chest; seldom had even Mido removed it, and even then it had never been unsheathed. Years ago he had found it near the body of a dead outsider that must have wandered into the forest and died of hunger or thirst. It was only a small dagger to an outsider, but it made a perfect short sword for a Kokiri.

Mido's fairy, who had left for no real reason, he had said, shortly after they had returned to his house, now entered through the front door, gasping as if he had just been flying to his full extent.

"Mido... I went to check..." he paused, panting, then continued - "I saw Link and... and Saria running towards the Great Deku Tree's meadow."

"Damnit!" shouted Mido angrily. "We have to get there before _him_! If he gets there first, we'll have to..."

"But Mido," said the fay, "there's something else..."

"What?" promted Mido sharply, glaring at the fairy.

"You won't like this..."

"Throw it at me," he said, aggrivated by the fairy's hesitation.

"It's about Link. He has a fairy now."

Mido stood there, gaping. Taelic had told him that _Link, _the boy that he despised with all his being, was now a true Kokiri. He simply couldn't believe it.

_But fairies don't lie._

Mido ignored his thoughts. "You're lying," he said, fuming.

"No. Mido, I wouldn't lie to you." Taelic backed away cautiously. Having known Mido for years since his birth, he had discovered long ago his savage temper and murderous potential.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Mido screamed storming up to the fay. When his own face, his piercing glare, was close enough that Taelic was cowering agains the wall for fear of being crushed, Mido turned away from him and stomped out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

When Mido had recovered from his tantrum, he hopped accross some rocks to the other side of the river and began a fast sprint towards the Great Deku Tree's Meadow.

--

"This is it," said Link.

The two and their fairies stood in the centre of a monstrous, grassy meadow. The four of them were in total awe, staring up at the diety who had chosen to show himself to Link. They waited for a little, savouring this moment of awesome significance. They first stared up at the green leaves and then slowly looked down from the bottoms of the branches to the tree's humungous roots. When they reached them, however, Link's stomach dropped.

Littered on the ground bellow the tree's canopy were piles and piles of brown, deformed leaves. This was not an unusual occurance when it was late in the year, around the time that the berries were ripest, but now, in the spring... it didn't seem right. Could this be a sign that the Great Deku Tree was...

No, Link couldn't even think of it.

But that one word prodded at his mind for so long that he was forced to let it in.

...Dying?

At that precise moment the Tree shook. Thousands of barrel-fulls of leaves rained down from his branches.

Link then felt something press against his mind... a strange, awesome pressence that he could not ignore. He had spoke telepathicly with the Deku Tree before, and sensing the contactor, he let loose some of the force protecting the barriers that surrounded his mind. Next was the worst part, the horrible feeling of intrusion - as if two people were inside of you at once - as the awesome power seeped into his body - no, his very being - and he knew at once...

_...Great Deku Tree?_

_Yes... _said the tree, addressing all four of them. _Link, Navi... Saria and Acrea... It is I..._

Link thought of what to say next that would make him sound polite. He tried, _Thank you, O father of I, for it is an honour to stand beneath your greatness. What is it that you wish to speak of...?_

It sounded akward coming out of his own mouth, but he had pronounced himself to the best of his abilities, and the Great Deku Tree seemed satisfied.

_I will return to that eventually... In the meantime, however: Saria, Acrea; please begone..._

_But Great Deku Tree... _Saria pleaded, but knew still that it was no use to disobey the father's words. She waved to Link, and, sadly, began towards the canyon-like path that would return her to the forest.

The Deku Tree waited waited to begin again until she had dissapeared completely.

_Link... the reason I have summoned ye is... a curse has been layed upon me._

A sense of shock coursed through Link's mind. He knew he must stay and listen to every one of the Deku Tree's words, but every molecule of him was screaming to go tell all the Kokiri.

_Do you remember, Link? _asked the Great Deku Tree.

_I know not of that of which you speak._

_Ten years ago... when..._

_Great Deku Tree... I appologize for being rude, but... you said before that the forest was in danger. Why did you send for me?_

_No... you are right, my child. Now is not the time to discuss this matter, for we have one of far greater importance to deal with. Three nights ago, an evil outsider in black armour came to the forest in search of a stone. I have no idea of why that man needed it, but I did know that he wanted it badly... badly enough to threaten me by creating a creature called a ghoma and sending it inside of my body. I don't know what it is doing in there, but I can feel the loss of energy and power. _

_Great... b-but... what can I do? _asked Link through mixed tears. He could not comprehend the Great Tree's words.

_Link, you need to go inside me and kill the ghoma. You are the only one capable of it. You are... the child of destiny._

_Great Deku Tree, no! I've never killed anything in my life... I've never even fought before!_

_Listen closely to me, Link. I am... dying. I _will _die if you do not rid me of this curse. Now, do you understand? Do you have the courage to undertake this task?_

And what was he to do but agree? He had to save the Great Deku Tree. No...

Link was going to save the forest.

_Yes, Great Deku Tree, I do._

_Then enter now, Link, and Navi the fairy, for I fear that it may be too late..._

With those final words, as if the weight of the world had been llifted off his shoulders, he felt the Great Deku Tree break contact and life once again filled his lungs.

He pulled his slingshot out from underneath his belt and picked up a few stones off of the ground before slipping through a deep, dark hole next to the tree and dissapearing into the blackness.

--

Saria breathed heavily. When she had left, she had given only a bit of her contact to Link; light enough that he would not notice it, yet strong enough to hear their conversation.

There were footsteps.

She turned around: somebody was coming. Red hair, definately a Kokiri... large, heavy figure.

It was Mido, and he was now dashing past her with all his speed, carrying a weapon in his hand. Luckily, Saria was able to hide within the tall grass to avoid Mido's eyes.

"Mr. No-fairy!" Mido shouted, waving the weapon above his head before he continued running. "I'm coming with you!"


	8. PAUSE

Sorry guys, Lupinari especially, but I'm afraid that I'll have to put this story on hold. If you go to my story and read it, you'll find out that I took it offline to continue it because I don't want my ideas stolen. Its different with a fanfic, I know, which is why, after I resume this, I will continue to update and complete it. The reason why I'm temporarily stopping is because my friend's dad, who's a publisher, read the first few chapters of my story and said he might want to try publishing it once its revised, edited and completed. So now that I have a chance of getting this one out to the world, I have all my writing time fully occupied by it.

BTW thanks for all of the reviews and stuff so far. I promise that after I'm done with my other one I'll finish this.

NOT A DEAD FIC! I REPEAT: NOT A DEAD FIC! I WILL GET BACK TO IT IN DUE TIME


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